Academics

English 246. Modern Irish Literature

A study of the role of literary culture in the formation of modern Ireland since the late 19th century. We will examine the response of Irish writers to English racial stereotypes of the Irish and their attempt to create new images of Ireland and Irishness. Topics will include the viability of the Irish language in modern literature, the use of Irish mythology, the place of women in national culture, the role of the United States in contemporary Irish culture, and debates about the censorship of homosexuality. We will read drama, poetry and fiction by familiar figures such as Wilde, Yeats, Lady Gregory, Joyce, and Friel and less-familiar figures such as Marina Carr, Frank McGuinness, Marie Jones and Mary Dorcey.